I'm in Yellow Maple Valley, and I have one equipment slot!

Thinking of this, Zhou Yuan immediately equipped the ancient jade slip containing various evil martial arts techniques to his third equipment slot.

The information on the light screen changed again:

[Equipment Slot 3: Ancient Jade Slip (Mysterious Yin Record)]

[Effect 1: Enhanced comprehension of the Blood Spirit Diamond Secret Technique!]

[Effect 2: Enhanced comprehension of the External Avatar Technique!]

[Effect 3...]

really!

This jade slip, as a carrier of various profound secret techniques, also contains special Daoist charm. Equipping it will have a significant enhancement effect on cultivating the secret techniques recorded within!

Zhou Yuan nodded in satisfaction.

With the addition of the equipment slot, his speed in cultivating the "Blood Spirit Diamond" and refining the "External Avatar" will be greatly increased.

After temporarily removing the jade slip and the Blood Spirit Diamond, Zhou Yuan equipped the two mid-grade spirit stones brimming with spiritual energy into his second and third equipment slots.

To maintain maximum efficiency in daily cultivation and mana recovery.

The next step is to implement the plan in its first stage—finding a suitable "body" to refine the external avatar.

"An external avatar... a suitable body is hard to find. However, the puppet 'Qu Hun' that Han Li left behind seems to be an excellent material for refining an avatar!" Zhou Yuan pondered.

He remembered that in the original story, before Han Li went to attend the Tai Nan Small Meeting, he left the puppet "Qu Hun" that he had obtained from Doctor Mo in Jiayuan City, Lanzhou, and entrusted it to Sun Ergou, a minor leader of the Siping Gang at the time, so that he could secretly protect the Mo family.

However, when Han Li returned to Jiayuan City ten years later, he found that "Qu Hun" had lost control and "ran away" on its own.

In reality, it was possessed by the primordial spirit of a cultivator who had accidentally wandered here and was on the verge of dissipation!

The timeline has changed somewhat now.

But they're pretty much the same.

In any case, the puppet body "Qu Hun" is one of the most suitable vessels that Zhou Yuan can find at present to refine the external avatar of the "Mysterious Yin Corpse Refining Technique"!

"It's still early for the agreed meeting time with Han Li, so I might as well go to Lanzhou, find that 'Soul of Melody,' and refine my external avatar..."

With the plan settled, Zhou Yuan did not delay any longer. He removed the restrictions outside the cave, summoned the Divine Wind Boat, and transformed into an inconspicuous stream of light, speeding towards Lanzhou, one of the thirteen states of Yue Kingdom.

……

Seven days later, Zhou Yuan arrived in Lanzhou.

Lanzhou is located in the southeast of the Yue Kingdom. It has a well-developed water system, fertile land, and prosperous commerce, making it one of the more affluent prefectures of the Yue Kingdom.

The largest cultivation force in this area is Spirit Beast Mountain, one of the seven sects of the Yue Kingdom.

However, Zhou Yuan's goal for this trip was the mortal world, and he had no intention of dealing with the cultivators of the Spirit Beast Mountain, so he traveled in a low-key and stealthy manner.

His destination was Jiayuan City, a famous and bustling metropolis in Lanzhou.

As the capital of Lanzhou and a hub for waterway transportation, Jiayuan City is bustling with activity, lined with shops, and teeming with people.

The scene was one of prosperity, seemingly unaffected by the border battles between the cultivators.

After entering the city, Zhou Yuan did not linger. Following the information from his memories in the original work, he went straight to a relatively wealthy street in the city.

This place is home to the headquarters of a gang that is quite famous among the mortal gangs in Jiayuan City—the Siping Gang.

Ten years ago, the Siping Gang was just a small, insignificant gang.

But ever since Sun Ergou, who was just a small fry at the time, had some kind of extraordinary encounter (actually, he met Han Li and received help from the "Qu Hun" left behind by him), and suddenly became the leader of the gang, the Siping Gang has risen rapidly under his leadership, swallowing up the territories and businesses of many surrounding small gangs.

Now he's considered a powerful figure in Jiayuan City, and ordinary people don't dare to provoke him easily. The once-despised "Sun Ergou" has now become the "Sun Gang Leader" whom everyone respects.

As night deepens, the city lights begin to illuminate the night.

The Siping Gang headquarters was still patrolled by gang members, but for a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator like Zhou Yuan, it was practically useless.

Like a ghost blending into the night, he silently slipped into the core courtyard where gang leader Sun Ergou resided. The courtyard was brightly lit, and the faint sounds of string and wind instruments and a woman's giggles could be heard.

With a sweep of his divine sense, Zhou Yuan locked onto the most spacious and magnificent room in the middle.

Inside the house, a man in his forties, with a ruddy complexion, a slightly plump figure, and dressed in silk robes, was embracing two women.

He drank and made merry with four scantily clad and beautiful concubines, engaging in illicit sexual acts, indulging in extreme debauchery.

Zhou Yuan frowned slightly.

I can't be bothered with these mundane and vulgar matters.

With a thought, he silently cast a simple "mind-stabilizing spell" over the entire room.

In an instant, the music inside the room stopped abruptly. Sun Ergou and his four concubines froze, their eyes quickly becoming vacant and blank. Then their bodies went limp, and they all collapsed to the ground, falling into a deep coma.

Zhou Yuan flashed into the room. Ignoring the body lying on the ground, his gaze fell on the clothes that Sun Ergou had taken off.

Reaching in, he pulled out a small, dark yellow bell with an antique design from the inner pocket close to his body.

The Soul-Guiding Bell!

Sun Ergou was able to maintain his position as gang leader and allow the Siping Gang to expand rapidly by secretly using "Qu Hun" to eliminate dissidents and intimidate opponents.

This bell is connected to a wisp of essence blood restriction that Han Li had implanted into the body of "Qu Hun".

By shaking this bell, you can give simple commands to the "Soul of Music".

After taking the Soul-Guiding Bell, Zhou Yuan didn't linger. His figure quietly blended into the night, leaving the Siping Gang headquarters as if he had never been there.

Then, he piloted the Divine Wind Boat, leaving Jiayuan City and flying towards the rolling, sparsely populated mountains and dense forests a hundred miles west of the city.

According to clues from the original work, the cultivator who possessed Qu Hun's body was located on the west side of Jiayuan City.

night sky.

Zhou Yuan hovered above a dark mountain range that resembled a giant, crouching beast.

Calmly looking down at the dark valley below, covered by dense vegetation.

The next moment, he took out the dark yellow "Soul-Guiding Bell" from his storage bag.

Hold it flat in your palm.

He slowly channeled a wisp of pure magic power into the bell.

The Soul-Guiding Bell trembled slightly, emitting a low hum.

A faint white halo appeared on its surface, and then it floated up from Zhou Yuan's palm on its own.

Zhou Yuan quickly made a simple hand seal with his other hand and gently tapped Xiao Zhong.

"go!"

With a clear chime, the Soul-Guiding Bell seemed to be pulled by invisible threads, hovering briefly in the air before transforming into a faint yellow light and flying swiftly in a specific direction!

Zhou Yuan's gaze followed closely.

Their figures followed silently from behind, maintaining a certain distance.

Because this bell contained a trace of the essence blood from the body of "Qu Hun", Zhou Yuan was able to follow the clues and easily find the current hiding place of the puppet "Qu Hun".